Matt Payne

Matt Payne is a mountain climber and fine art nature and landscape photographer living in Durango, Colorado. In 2018, Matt completed his life-long goal of climbing the highest 100 mountains in Colorado, where his love of photography was kindled. Since 2017, Matt has hosted a weekly podcast dedicated to nature photography called “F-Stop Collaborate and Listen.” Matt is also the co-founder of Nature First Photography, an organization created in 2018 to help increase ethical awareness in nature photography. Lastly, Matt is the co-creator of the Natural Landscape Photography Awards, an international photography competition that rewards and celebrates nature photographers who dedicate themselves to photographing and editing their work in a realistic fashion.

When not engaged in some photography project, Matt can be found hiking, backpacking, or watching sports. Matt lives with his teenage son, Quinn, his wife, Angela, and his four cats, Juju, Chara, Arrow, and Vestal.

P.S. Did you know that Matt was a baseball pitcher at the collegiate level? You can learn more about Matt and his approaches to photography in our “meet the pro” section.

See more of Matt's work here.

Open Workshops

Printing Lab: Platinum and Silver — November 19 – 22, 2026
Death Valley — March 2 – 6, 2027
Outer Banks: Shape, Space, and Intention — March 11 – 14, 2027 (1 Spot Left)
Smoky Mountains in Spring — April 14 – 18, 2027
White Pocket Night Skies — May 4 – 10, 2027
Sandstone Gorges of the Hocking Hills — May 12 – 15, 2027 (3 Spots Left)
Ireland: Donegal and the Causeway Coast — August 28 – September 5, 2027
Monument Valley — September 8 – 12, 2027
Vision Series — Colorado Autumn Colors — September 27 – October 1, 2027 (2 Spots Left)
Scotland: Castles and Color — October 10 – 20, 2027
Scotland: Highlands and Isle of Skye — October 22 – 31, 2027
Death Valley Black and White — December 7 – 12, 2027

Sold Out Workshops

Colorado Colors — September 26 – 30, 2026
Drone Photography in the Southwest — October 31 – November 6, 2026
Winter Abstracts in Yellowstone — January 13 – 17, 2027
Learning Lab: Discover Night Skies — April 29 – May 2, 2027

Testimonials

Jean F.

Newfoundland '23

Matt is a gifted instructor - inspiring, compassionate and oh so knowledgeable.

Jason S.

Bisti Badlands and Night Skies '23

I learned a lot in this short time. Matt was patient and technical with his instruction. I asked for help often (and it was encouraged which I appreciated immensely). Matt was very accommodating in my search to find my own compositions and even went with me to find unique photographs aside from what they had scouted.

Randy W.

White Sands '23

Matt was an outstanding instructor. He presented us with locations and subjects to reflect the reality of White Sands. He was available to assist us as needed finding a subject, setting up the shot and providing advice as to how to improve the composition. He answered any questions I had in the field. His comments and directions expanded my knowledge of photography.

Scott K.

Yellowstone '24

I loved Matt's ability to help us visualize the scenes in ways that weren't typical with some abstract imagery coming out of this trip that I hadn't expected from a wildlife photo expedition. I actually have an image to submit this week to a locally high-profile art project and expect to submit one of those for consideration. He was great about sharing camera settings and provided opportunities to see his framing of scenes through his camera.

Drishti A.

Death Valley Safari '24

After a workshop I always feel more confident in my ability as a photographer and am encouraged to push myself out of my comfort zone even more. As I look back at my growth over the last 2 years not only in photography but also as a person, the Muench workshops have played a HUGE role in it.